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SAN MIGUEL (Atelier Clandestin) (FR)

SAN MIGUEL (Atelier Clandestin) (FR)

I cannot remember when I contacted San Miguel for the first time, but most probably when I was still doing my interviews in french (Tanxxx, Rica...), his name was given on regular basis, but the guy is pretty busy, so you can imagine how surprised and happy I was when I finally receive his answers. San Miguel can be seen as a legend in the french rock poster scene, and, funnly enough, he is the first one to provide me with an animated .gif for the interview. Many reasons to give him a warm "walcome aboard !!!"

Hello, of course as every Crewk interview, first question:
what are we listening to when we come to visit you?

If you come today you'll sure ear music from the posters I'm
working on, also lots of very different things, from no wave and post punk to
obscure british pop bands, internationnal «folk» music, krautrock, labels like
5rc, Sublime Frequencies, the amazing work to promote music by people like John
Peel, Peter Doolan, crate diggers and many others. Some early records, dangdut,
bollywood beats, tahitian folk, Khmer rock and a huge amount of luk thung and
molam...

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are
you from, what do you do?

We'll right now I'm living in Lille
(north of France)
and i'm soon on my 10th year of making silkscreen concert posters. I'm a music
addict who grew up in a little local radio, surrounded by sound and spicy
smells...

When did you start drawing?

As a kid as everybody else I guess ;op

Did you follow any course or did you improve by drawing in
the margins of your schoolbooks?

My work is not really about drawing (even if it includes
it). It's more about sound printing and silkscreen technics. About how to use
the medium in various way to create. I took some of silkscreen courses with a
very good technician and with a master in art edition, it helped a lot.

Today are you living from your art, or do you do something
else for a living ?

It's my full time "job"but it's more like a way of
life and I don't call it «art» at all.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

no

Where does your influence come from? Is there any
artists/graphists you particularly like, what are your influences?

This year is special as it's soon the 10th years I create
posters (and also the 15thanniversary of Le Grand Mix), you'll easilly find
some influences from my older work in some of my recent and upcoming posters.

Most of my influences comes from music I try to get into the
atmosphere and to "convert sound into image". That's why all my
posters are all very different. Also, I like to collect art (especially
original printed editions) so work by Hans Bellmer, Jacques Villeglé, Toulouse
Lautrec, Utamaro and others have or will influence some posters in a way or
another.

What are the principal steps in your work ?

It always start by putting on some music and then I start
sketches. Then it depends on the technics I choose to use (it changes all the
time: drawing, collage, photo, typography...). Then printing.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

It's always different, I think only the result count. I sure
prefer to work by hand but computers are usefull for color seps and printing
registration.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

Around 1 week, it can be faster but it can take more time
too.

You have a very distinctive style, are you doing only what
you feel like or if tomorrow somebody asks you an oil painting with horses
running out of water with a sunset backdrop, is it a problem or are you up for
it ?

Ha ha ha, I really don't think I have a distinctive style
and lots of people ask me about "how many different people create those
posters?". About the horse it's exactly what I'm doing right now, I jut
finished the printing!

For which band have you already worked for?

I work quite a lot for Le Grand Mix, a venue in north of France, I like
the way they work, and the music choices they make. It includes bands like:
Shannon Wright, Mulatu Astatke, Chokebore, Black Heart Procession, James Chance
&the Contortions, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Blonde Redhead, Ulan Bator, Coco Rosie
and many others.

For which band would you love to work?

I'd love to do a poster for Hongthong Dao Udon, it would
mean she's out of jail and also back on stage witch would both be very good
news!

Do you choose the artists yourself?

It depends but it's not very important for me, I like to do
posters for bands I don't really know yet or for some I like a lot.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

When I know the band very well it can get very hard, I got
too many ideas or no ideas at all for quite a while, it get me back to some of
their records I haven't listen in a while so it's not so bad.

Do you think you are part of a "Graphic Scene", if
so who else ?

I don't think so and I don't know much about contemporary
"Graphic Scene"

A bit of self-promotion, take advantage of it, it's free,
where can we see your work , on the web or in real life?

It was very nice when James Chance came to greet after the
show, the poster made him very happy and it was so right on about his music
(and even more but i'm not going to explain about it...). Sure the best praise
was a collective "WOW!"by some young kids I met recently.